New Plan. New Adventure. New Beginnings.

The last remains of toenail polish from an August wedding have finally worn off and the feet décor has been replaced with blisters, calluses and Chaco tan-lines. I came to a moment of absolute peace with my New Zealand adventure while sitting on the beach in Raglan, feet buried in the black sand, a hot cup of tea in my hands and a bright orange sun setting over the expanse of sea before me. I have fallen in love with this natural wonderland of a country. I’ve fallen for its beaches and its mountains, its oddly shaped rolling hills, its lakes and rivers. I’ve fallen for its aliveness, its geological youth and the precariousness that goes along with it. It’s constantly changing and moving… it’s alive and terrifying. I’ve fallen in love with the culture of kindness and generosity, the culture of playfulness and humor. I have been in constant motion, matching that New Zealand spirit, going to as many places as possible, doing new things, challenging myself and learning about myself. And now it’s time for me to begin the journey home.

The morning before, I sat in The Shack café on the sleepy main street of Raglan, drinking morning tea among the groovy artwork that decorates their walls, the chill barefoot customers and the quiet acoustic music that eased me into the beautifully cloudy and damp morning… and once again, there was nowhere I would rather be. Reflecting upon the last four months, I thought about the thousands of hellos, the thousands of goodbyes, the constant give and take of random acts of kindness. There have been the enormous amounts of misunderstandings, wrong directions, mixed up dates, moments of impulse that catapulted me on another trajectory  that I never anticipated. The good and the bad, the ugly and the beautiful. The ‘I wish it had never happened’ and the ‘how did I get so lucky?’. The ‘I feel so alone’ and the blessings of great company. The random acts of kindness that warmed my heart and the terrible acts that tore me down. Traveling solo is the ultimate leap of faith as you expose yourself to the elements of the world and to the elements of humanity, for better or for worse. The better is what keeps you moving, while the worse is what teaches you the most valuable of lessons. Both enrich your life in a way you never thought possible. Traveling long-term solo has been like nothing I’ve ever read about, but it has been so much better.

It took a while for this to click for me in my adventure, but there is finally an achieved peace with the present. There is no anxiety towards the future, just pleasant excitement towards it’s possibilities. There is no regret or remorse over the past, but simply lessons learned. I have fallen back in love with moments, and I realize that that’s all I really needed. I needed to be reminded of their intricate patchwork that makes life so beautiful. At the same time, I have begun to crave a routine and a community… a bed that I can call my own… or even a bed for that matter. The love-hate relationship I have had with my backpack, that carries my worn out clothes, has begun to teeter towards absolute resentment and it’s about time that I unpack it.

I have left New Zealand. I chased the sunrise on my last day in Raglan, running along the beach. I jumped in the sea one last time and I kissed the waves goodbye. I felt them kiss me back. As I felt tears welling up, I smiled with the knowledge that this goodbye will lead to so many beautiful hellos. So I walked back to pack up my tent, to head towards Auckland and my flight out.

The adventure continues, as I suppose it always will. After a couple of days in San Francisco, a series of flights followed by a night in Spokane, I have arrived in Pullman, WA to spend a week with my little sister. The return to cold, dry weather has been a bit of a shock to the system (my Wyoming blood has thinned a bit…) but the warmth of being with family has never felt better. On Friday, I will finally be back with Jake and the reunion we have been waiting for since November 8th! Did I mention we are moving to Casper? We are moving to Casper :) and we’ll see what sorts of adventures and new beginnings lay in store for us there. Oh beautiful, glorious adventures- bring it on.

My wonderful Jackson friends and family, I will be home for a solid visit at the beginning of April and I can’t wait to see your beautiful faces and to catch up on everything! As always, no matter where you are, I am sending you exorbitant amounts of love and groovy vibes along with wishes for the biggest of belly laughs that warm your soul. Happy spring and happy new beginnings. I’ll see you soon.

To infinity and beyond :)

Me and my twin sister Lisa in Wellington :) Maupuia Walkway

Uncle Moray, my tour guide in Welly and up the guts of the North Island

Waita- one of the Te Kahui Matariki (Seven Sisters), tells us of Maori travels with the paddle upright in salute. It is also a reference to the travels we embark upon in our own lives. 

Me and young Teri, with our epic Nachos. Tauranga

Lou and Teri, whose family I stayed with in Tauranga

Waka (canoe), symbol of spiritual journeys. Raglan

Moments

Moments. That's what life really is. It's just one big fat stream of moments: big ones, little ones, slow ones, fast ones, upside down ones, right side up ones, scary ones, funny ones, stupid ones, smart ones, happy ones, sad ones, light ones, heavy ones, crazy ones, sane ones, monumental ones, insignificant ones... wait, stop. That's the only kind of moment that no longer exists to me: the insignificant one. It's those wee moments, that don't seem worth mentioning, that are often the most important of all. They occur between the snap shots, with no documentation at all. I've begun to think about this more and more in my travels. I look back through the stories I've passed on to others, through this blog, over the phone, in daily conversation, and I realize they are all the moments that I feel others would want to hear about. They are the exciting and monumental feats. The "on top of mountains", the "hitch hiking up the coast" and "exploration of Milford Sound" moments are the ones I have dubbed as important and worthy of sharing. As amazing as those experiences were, it's really the in-betweeners, the sneaky little unnoticed moments of life that carry us all from one cool experience to the next, that make up the majority of our lives and I believe they deserve a little more recognition and heaps more appreciation!

This time, I'm not going to tell you the big highlights, because you can look that shit up online and probably get better descriptions and photos than I am capable of. (Seriously, google Milford Sound and you'll realize how much my little blurbs suck). I want to tell you about the moments that have truly made my last 4 months in New Zealand an adventure. Moments like cooking dinner in a hostel kitchen, fighting for one of the four stove burners, some space on the one counter top among the twenty people cooking twenty different meals, communicating in five different languages. Moments like being woken up each time someone so un-delicately stumbles into your 15 person dorm room in the wee hours of the morning... and moments where I have ever so delicately tip toed :) into the 15 person dorm room in the wee hours of the morning only to have the bunk bed squeak to high heavens when I lay down. There's the side of travel that normally isn't written about.

I normally wouldn't think to write about the giant Fergburger I ate by myself as the sun set over Lake Wakatipu and burger juice dribbled all over me, or the bus ride from Dunedin to Queenstown with a crabby bus driver and a guy next to me with tragically terrible breath that seemed to permeate into the fibers of my seat, clothes and hair. Moments like sitting in a backpackers lounge with a cup of tea just talking to people usually don't make it into the letter home, but those are the most memorable moments of all. It's funny how you can be struggling to communicate with each other due to different languages and accents, but you can bond over the absolute joy of having found a place to have a hot shower with free tea and coffee.
Moments.
Walking aimlessly around a town from sun up to sun down, accomplishing absolutely nothing, but loving every single second of it, getting a pint of cider at the pub by myself just to have an excuse to watch the India vs. Australia cricket game and put my new found cricket knowledge to the test, spending an entire day sitting in the Queenstown rose garden with a book and snacks, dancing barefoot in the dirt among a thousand strangers on Waitangi Day, drinking strawberry cider on a rooftop sundeck, watching the sunset with the groovy German girl I met while dancing, jumping into the lake with my clothes on because I was hot, sitting on an empty rugby field for hours and watching the sun set with the company of my dinner groceries for the night and a Van Morrison album...

Oh gloriously tumultuous moments like standing alone on the side of the road with my life on my back trying to decide which way to go because it doesn't really matter either way, and the moment when I realize I'm just as happy to be there as anywhere else, so I stay. There have been times that I've eaten chocolate and corn chips for dinner, because that's all I had, and times where I just ate plain rice for breakfast. There have been terrible moments of self doubt and wondering what the hell I'm doing by myself on the other side of the world, followed by wonderful moments and feelings of accomplishment after having finished a 4 day solo hiking track. I once spent 5 hours round trip of walking, bussing and eventually calling a taxi to get to a one hour dance class in Wellington and realizing that those 5 hours were more of an adventure than the class itself (though the class really did rock my world).  Driving through Benneydale with Kiwi Uncle Moray was a highly memorable moment: he had never heard of it, most people haven't. We drove through it in about .2 seconds. The only person we saw was a disturbed looking man on the side of the road. Guaranteed you'll never hear about Benneydale again, but for me, Moray's reaction was absolutely priceless. I loved the post hike sushi picnic in the dark with two wonderful girls, Teri and her mother Lou, at Mount Maunganui and the surf life saving competition they brought me to and let me sleep in their car.

These are the moments that define the adventure and will remain with me forever, even if I forget them. They remain because they are the lessons- the good and the bad. They are the moments that have opened my eyes, given me new perspectives, forced me to adapt to all sorts of different lifestyles and beliefs. I've gone from staying with a Satanist to saying grace at a family dinner and it has all been absolutely beautiful.

I was hanging laundry this morning for the family I'm currently staying with in Tauranga and it inspired me to write this. I was inspired because I took a moment to appreciate just how happy I was to be singing, in the sunshine and hanging laundry. Oh yummy delicious moments. Every day is an extraordinary adventure, no matter where you are, if you remember to appreciate them, the good and the bad alike.

Paulo Coelho wrote something along the lines of, "the tiniest of moments are often times the most extraordinary..."

Cheers Paulo

Have a beautiful, wonderful day full of thousands of little un-note-worthy moments!

To infinity and beyond :)

Pictures, Pictures, Pictures!!!

I've added more photos on my facebook account:

www.facebook.com/alex.bontecou.1/photos_all

A Summary of the Abridged Version...

It has been far too long since I last wrote. It has been far too long and so much has happened. I will attempt to write the abridged version of all of the different phases that I have gone through in the last month, but I fear they will not co-exist happily in one piece. No, they will not. Some parts will be overlooked and not given the attention they deserve. Others will look flashy and attract your eye, but they probably have little significance. Alas, I am stuck. I am stuck in the muck of writers block.

 I could blame my procrastination on the fact that internet has been expensive and hard to come by lately, which is true, but I'll be honest and tell you that it's really because I took a communication hiatus to allow myself to be more in the present moment in my travels. It worked, and there I was, but now here I am, trying to figure out how to describe to you a months worth of bussing, tramping, hitch hiking (I've already formally apologized to my mother for this), camping, skinny dipping, road-tripping with Englishmen, more hitch hiking (I really am sorry momma, but it was a great adventure), more camping and taking a ferry up to the North Island. So here is the much abridged version that I am going to sum up in a list of highlights:

The Caples River

Jump shot for Jake! Mackellar Saddle

The Greenstone River

 1. A solo four day trek in the bush: The Caples/ Greenstone Loop Track. AMAZING hiking up the Caples River, over the Mackellar Saddle down to a lake and down the Greenstone River. The trail was full of river crossings, creek crossings, waterfall crossings, bridge over gorge crossings, landslide crossings, boulder field crossings, log crossings, hop on stones like a hobbit across muddy bog crossings, field crossings, saddle crossings, farm land filled with cute little sheep crossings... there were a lot of crossings and I loved it. I decided to try out the hut system that they have going on here in New Zealand, which totally squashed my hopes of having a solo back country experience, but allowed me to cross paths with some really cool people. All of my hiking was solo though and that made me a happy camper!

This is where I skinny dipped at sunrise on the last day. This is where I got caught butt naked in knee deep water by an older Kiwi couple. It's okay, I live for awkward moments... 

2. One week in Queenstown painting, reading, writing, dancing and hanging out with two really cool men from Alpine, Wyoming. Friends of my grandparents, Brent and Michael live the endless summer between Alpine and Queenstown and have been doing so for the last 26 years! They welcomed me into their beautiful home, and graced me with amazing conversation, the best stories, wonderful company, good wine and home-baked gluten free bread... I'm still not sure why I left...

Queenstown's Lake Wakatipu

Sunset view from Brent and Michael's place

... doing something... on the Moeraki Boulders

3. I hitched to Dunedin where I met up with my friend Andy and his brother Simon who was visiting from England and together we took off for a 5 day road trip Northbound-ish.

Simon walking up the staircase to nowhere

BEST PLAYGROUND EVER... Oarmaru

 We played on the Moeraki Boulders, drank a case of cider and watched penguins on the pier in Oamaru, played cricket outside a cafe in Twizel, tramped to glaciers in Mt. Cook, camped in Mt. Cook... and almost got away with it, watched stars at Mt. Cook, I really like Mt. Cook, checked out views of Lake Tekapo, ate lots of discounted steak and salad, drank lots of tea- English style, and ate a lot of chocolate every day. They were good travel buddies. 

Nap time... hiking with Englishmen.... 

4. After parting ways with the guys, I hitched from Ashburton all up the East coast with a stop in Kaikoura, a cool, old little fishing town where I watched a sunrise over the ocean that brought me to tears, and camped behind a very strange little motel by the creek. Another stop in Blenheim, which I really wish I had more time to explore because of it's funky little nonsensical streets, then on to Picton and the Bluebridge Ferry that took me, thousands of other people, a fleet of buses and garages full of cars over the Cook Straight to the city of Wellington on the North Island.

Kaikoura Sunrise and Black Rock Beaches

Taking it all in... Kaikoura

5. I'm in Wellington! I' was welcomed into the home of the hilarious and wonderful Bevan family who were guests at Hopewell Lodge while I was working there. They were the ones that took me water skiing! I've gotten an awesome tour of the city and surrounding areas by Moray and I've been spending my days walking into the city and exploring. There is a huge arts festival happening throughout the city, which I've been trying to take advantage of as much as possible and I have finally found some dance classes that I'll be jumping into starting tonight!!! I am currently house-sitting on the Miramar Peninsula of Wellington for another wonderful couple I met at Hopewell and I am enjoying the luxury of a home to myself and ninja kitties to care for... we'll see what adventures lay in store for me in the next week before I head up northward. I'll keep you posted.

As always, you are in my heart and on my mind and I'm sending oodles of wonderful, beautiful New Zealand vibes your way. May your days be glorious, your heart happy and may your laughter knock you over.

To infinity and beyond :)

Southbound

Lake Marian in Fiordland Ntnl Park

Meet Leona. I met this wonderful woman on the street in Christchurch before I went to Hopewell... nearly two months ago. We really hit it off and decided to take a road trip together for some hiking adventures as soon as we both had the chance. So when I left Hopewell, I spent a week in Nelson, because I love it there, two days in Picton, because that's where the infamous, hilarious public toilets are located*, then I jumped on the coastal train to Christchurch to meet up with my new travel buddy.
*The Picton Public Toilets are a fully automated system that welcomes each customer through the doors with surround-sound elevator music and full commentary. Once you lock the door, a loud voice announces that you have 10 minutes. The toilet flushes automatically, but only once you have activated the automatic soap dispenser and have begun to wash your hands under the automatic faucet. The voice then reminds you to gather your belongings and to have a nice day. 

Lake Tekapo

Our adventure started heading south west to Lake Tekapo. Within a few hours, we had left the ocean and found ourselves at the beautiful mountain lake, staring into that intoxicating blue that you simply can't wrap your mind around., surrounded by the sprinkling of wildflowers along the shore. We camped there for two nights enjoying amazing starry skies, beautiful day hikes and relaxing in the hot pools.

A Tekapo Sunset

From there, we continued on to Wanaka. It was interesting to return there as that was my first stop on my adventure with Swiss buddy Luk about one week into my New Zealand adventure. When I headed there that first time, I was going to jump out of the car there... stick around for a while, look for work... maybe buy my own car... and it's crazy to think about all of the places I've been, all of the things I've experienced and all of the groovy people I've met since then because I kept moving... it's funny how plans change when you allow for adventure to intercept you and whisk you away where it pleases.

We camped in Wanaka for two nights, right by the lake again. We did yoga each morning, had some nice day walks, checked out the picturesque little lake-side town, ate our picnic meals and drank wine under the light of the full moon... not too shabby.

Mount Cook

From there, we took a bit of a detour from our route up to Mount Cook, and I'm so glad we did. The drive up was absolutely incredible. Epically rugged, snow covered mountain peaks came into view and just seemed to get bigger, bigger and bigger. We stepped out of the car into that familiar crisp mountain air, in absolute awe of the beauty surrounding us. The photo doesn't do justice to the grandeur of this mountain, but it will give you the idea.

We continued our drive all the way to Milford Sound that day. We drove over the steep windy pass between Wanaka and Queenstown, across the rolling hills of the Otago farmland into Southland, through Homer Tunnel, the longest, creepiest tunnel ever that goes straight through the heart of a mountain, which is of course unstable and under construction, and into... Fiordland**. We had a cozy little campsite in the trees for two nights next to a beautiful lodge in the heart of Milford. I managed to snag two majorly discounted tickets for a cruise of Milford Sound, so that's what we woke up to! Somehow, we managed to get there on the first sunny day they have had all summer and... this is the part I've been dreading. I don't know how to describe it. It seems sacrilegious to put Milford Sound into words. It seems sacrilegious to attempt to capture it with a camera. I got overwhelmed. I almost threw my camera overboard, because taking a photo seemed like such a silly attempt that would surly be in vein, but that would be littering. And I am not a litter bug. So I held onto it and I tried. This is what I've got:

 What the pictures don't convey (and what is really deceptive when you're actually at the base of these mountains) is that some of these peaks are more than 5 times the height of the Empire State Building... and the water is about as deep as the Empire State Building is tall. They are fucking massive and you feel so insignificant in their presence. It's truly amazing.
There are waterfalls pouring over every face as you wind through the fjord, all the way out to sea. Fur seals hanging out on the rocks, ice cold wind ripping around... I can't even imagine what it must have been like for the Maori when they first entered into

this surreal paradise. They must have thought that they had somehow entered into another world. I felt like I had entered into another world.
It's no wonder it immediately became a place of spiritual significance for the Maori. People would return annually to gather precious greenstone (pounamu) from the banks, and many legends take place in these Fjords.

**Funny fact: Within 'Fiordland' are many 'sounds' including the famous Milford Sound and the infamous Doubtful Sound, but they are not actually 'Sounds'. They are valleys that have been carved out by glaciers, which means that they are actually fjords. When the Kiwis realized the mistake in title, they tried to make up for it by naming the area Fiordland... come to find out, they spelled it incorrectly, with an i instead of a j... they just left it at that. 

Sterling Falls (I think) in Milford Sound

 After our two wonderful days in Milford Sound, full of amazing day hikes and stunning views, we took the southern scenic route across to the Catlins, in the south-east corner of the island. We camped in the area for two nights, yet again, and filled our time with coastal walks and hikes to one incredible waterfall after the next. The Catlins are filled with beautiful forests, waterfalls, rugged coast lines and marine wildlife.

On top of Key Summit, Fiordland Ntnl Park

Lake Marian, Fiordland National Park

Petrified Forest, Catlins 

Within the Catlins area... I'm not quite sure where... we stumbled upon an extraordinarily, beautifully odd gallery called The Lost Gypsy Gallery. It was started roughly twenty years ago by a brilliant man, who I had the honor of meeting and hanging out with for a while, with awe-inspiring ingenuity. From collected junk and scraps, odds and ends, he creates all sorts of contraptions and works of art, ranging from objects you can hold in your hand to giant towers. It's a hands-on gallery where you are welcomed to give in to your temptations to push the mysterious button and pull the intriguing lever... but you might get a surprise.

"There are many temptations in life, this button being
one of them."

A masterpiece from The Lost Gypsy Gallery

And we headed up to Dunedin, which is where I write you from. We explored the city for a day, camped on the Otago Peninsula, checked out the groovy, not so old, but New Zealand's only, Scottish Castle, looked for albatros and blue penguins, didn't see any, but knew they were there, scooted on back to the city and Leona and I parted ways. (I know I like my run-ons, but I think that's a personal record for summing up so much in one phrase... this post is getting far too long.) She continued on to her home away from home in Akaroa and I've been in Dunedin for about ten days now working for my accommodation at a hostel. I've met some great people here and checked out some amazing spots... those photos will come later. I'm leaving here soon... headed for other adventures... a solo backpacking adventure on the Greenstone Track... but for now, I need dinner. And you need to back away from the computer before your eyes begin to cross.

I am sending all of my love and support, the most massive of hugs and simply the grooviest of vibes from Dunedin. I hope you all are well, happy and just loving life. You are in my heart and on my mind.

To infinity and beyond :)

Beautiful Optimism Sprouting from Rubble

I found myself back in Christchurch for one night and I discovered the part that I was looking for on my last visit. I knew there would be some rejuvenation, some artistic endeavors, some splatters of inspiration around the city that saw so much destruction in the 2010 earthquake... I just had to look a little deeper and stumble into the Pallet Pavilion to see the real reconstruction efforts at the source.

There is a community effort organisation called Gap Filler that has bloomed and is continuing to grow all over Christchurch. In the formerly conservative city, vacant city blocks are being transformed into works of art, community gardens, pavilions made from pallets, washing-machine-powered dance floors, life-sized chess boards... the list goes on.

The Pallet Pavilion is the wonderful outdoor community area with food carts, a caravan cafe, pallet walls decorated with live plants and flowers and a stage that hosts concerts, Sunday jam sessions, dance performances and all sorts of groovy, funky things of the sort. That's where I got my coffee yesterday morning and where I was inspired to research this ingenious project down to the roots.... this is what I found, and I think it deserves some international recognition:

www.gapfiller.org.nz

And my personal favorite:
http://www.visualnews.com/2012/12/05/dance-o-mat/

Check out the links, be inspired and share the inspiration!

Hopewell

I truly don’t even know where to begin. How do I sum up the last month in a single posting while still doing my experience at Hopewell Lodge justice? It is not a simple backpackers that I stumbled into working at, but a beautifully located, isolated, amazing retreat that is run by the coolest people that make everyone feel like family. I’m still not quite sure what I did to deserve finding such a special place on such a whim, but I am so thankful that I did.

Hopewell Lodge is located in the Kenepuru Sounds of the Marlborough Sounds on the north part of the South Island. I snagged this job, working as a cleaner in exchange for accommodation and immediately caught a bus up from Christchurch. My Marlborough experience started off with a water taxi ride to the Lodge where we ran into a school of dolphins on the way! These amazing creatures immediately came swimming along the sides of the boat and playing in the wake. I stood by the railing in absolute awe, catching their ocean spray in the face… I swear to God I could here them laughing.  I felt an instant connection with them and with the Sounds. It was a good omen right from the start.

I can’t possibly go into detail of every moment I experienced there, but I’ll sum it up with the word “Time”. I've never before experienced having so much of it. Being so isolated, there was no township, no grocery store (groceries had to be ordered in), no nothing… but everything at the same time. My work would last about 4 hours each day, and the rest of the day was for me to do as I pleased. I would often try to help out and work more, as I do, but they wouldn't let me! I had somewhat of a daily checklist that I lived by: I would do an hour of meditation and yoga every morning, do my work, read, write, do some form of exercise and learn/try something new. It’s amazing the funny little things you learn, when you make it a goal. You also begin to pay attention to the funny little things you learn without even trying (like why an egg is shaped the way it is, while cooking breakfast with an Israeli man)… you also find yourself in the coolest of situations making sure that it happens (like rowing a little tin fishing boat out to sea to catch snapper for dinner).

I found myself on great hikes, beautiful walks, dressing up as an elf to hand out Christmas presents to local kids at the farm down the road, jumping off a trampoline on the pier into the ocean, swimming with jelly fish, fishing, rowing, biking, running, finishing one book and devouring the next. I got to brush up on my French with French guests and my awesome French roommate, Tiphaine.  I spent Christmas in a sundress! I went to a mussel farm, to help harvest and clean mussels for the wonderful mussel nights that were held every few days. I went out water skiing for the first time ever, with an awesome family that comes to Hopewell every year. 1st attempt: went nowhere. 2nd attempt: straight to the face. 3rd attempt: straight to the back. 4th attempt: cruising! (Very awkwardly, I might add, but water skiing nonetheless). I collected oysters and learned how to crack them open and slurp them right up!!! I took the time to sit and watch sunsets, the occasional sunrise and watch the tides roll in and out. I just sat and thought... a lot... I had time.

Just like the magical experience I had with the dolphins on the way in, I had a magical experience on New Years, just days before I left. On New Years Eve, about 20 of us dove off the warf steps into the ocean at midnight. Some guests had lit floating lanterns and sent them out to sea before us. Swimming out into the darkness, the only light was that which glowed from the lanterns and the stars of the milky way. It was a beautiful, serene moment… then I saw the phosphorescence. I had heard about this, but never had experienced it. The water was glowing a faint green all around my body. Any movement I created in the water was followed by a trail of these light green, diamond-like bubbles. I was swimming in a sea of stars. It was an absolutely surreal experience and my words simply can't do it justice. Look up marine phosphorescence and you’ll get a better idea. It’s bio-luminescent plankton that lights up chemically when disturbed… and it’s really, really cool.

On my last full day in the Sounds, I went to the annual Hopai sporting event to help out. It's an event that has been going on officially since 1920 and, oh my God, is it an event to remember. It was not massive by any means, but it includes all of the communities from the Sounds coming together to compete in running races, 3-legged races, spoon and egg races, piggy back races, biathlon-esque races, boat races, wood chopping competitions and, the absolute best of all, gum-boot throwing contests. No shit, gum-boot throwing- it's exactly what it sounds like... and it's serious business. Children and adults alike line up to chuck a gum boot as far as they possibly can. They take a serious wind-up and, more often than not, send the boot flying off in some crazy direction, usually to the face of an innocent by-stander. It is hilariously terrifying. My job was to help gather the boots and return them to the lines, which consisted of me running through the cross-fire, dodging boots left and right. I gave it a whirl at the end of the women's competition. Nobody was harmed in the process and I can now check that off the list of important New Zealand accomplishments.

All of these amazing experiences and all of this wonderful time will remain in my memory, but it’s the people that I have met here that have truly touched my heart. Mike and Lynley, the two extraordinary owners, gave me a home away from home. Mike, with his awesome positivism, fun-loving, life-loving, king-fish spear fishing, guitar playing, song-singing spirit (who, I might add, knows Alice’s Restaurant by Arlo Guthrie better than I do…) and Lynley, with her amazing generosity, awesome cooking/ baking skills and unbelievable multi-tasking abilities. Kathy, the family friend who comes to live at the lodge each summer and help out with EVERYTHING, who has traveled the globe, and continues to travel the globe, who works on habitat for humanity projects all over the globe, who swims every single morning rain or shine, jellyfish or not, and who warms the heart of every person she comes into contact with. And Hendrik, the young man from Germany, who also has been coming back to the lodge for 4 years to help out with EVERYTHING and to work his butt off, who loves the Sounds so much that he is going to work out a way to live there forever, who has created the most brilliant veggie garden in just one month. There’s Phil and Deb, who are simply the sweetest, funniest, most warm-hearted people. I've truly connected with them over mussel nights, the holiday celebrations and a few glasses of wine. Mitch and Emily, the groovy  supervisors of the neighboring Skiddaw Farm who are always open and welcoming and never fail to make you laugh your ass off… this is only the start of the list of amazing people that I’ve met here at the lodge. There were constant travelers passing through with great stories to share and with whom I was lucky enough to spend the most beautiful gift of all with: Time.

This has been an extraordinarily long post, and if you've read to the end, I salute you! I hope you have all enjoyed the holiday season and that your 2014 is off to a great start. May this be a wonderful year for you all full of the most beautiful of moments and the biggest of belly laughs. Fill it with as much love and gratitude as you can muster. Fill it with bold and daring moves because life is short, and fill it with absolute appreciation for the time you share with those you love.

Loving you and missing you so much,

To Infinity and Beyond :)

Mussel Night

Slurping oysters

Christmas Eve party with Tiphaine

Merry Christmas!!

Mike's 17 kg King Fish!

Pulling the boat in for the night

Kathy, Me, Mike, Lynley and Hendrik